The Sword Maker's Seal

by Trevor Schmidt

  “No, she had other motivation,” Ezra said. “Does Edmund Dillinger ring any bells?”

  Mr. Roy let out a gasp.

  “The British Millionaire? He was here the day before the robbery.”

  “Just enough time to hammer out a deal with Tanya,” Ezra said.

  “How did you figure it out, Ezra?” Mr. Roy asked.

  “It was actually thanks to you, Mr. Roy. In our meeting you mentioned the British Millionaire coming to town to see the exhibit. I went home and looked up Mr. Dillinger and found a reference to him in a very familiar place.”

  Ezra took off his backpack and rifled through it for his copy of Feudal Japan and the Way of the Samurai. He opened to a marked page and read.

  “Perhaps the greatest concentrations of Masamune’s swords are held in private collections, the largest known lying with Edmund Dillinger of Great Britain.”

  “Tanya was well aware of Edmund Dillinger’s fascination with Masamune’s swords. In fact, she called him and made him an offer. He flew all the way out to Portland, Oregon to verify the authenticity of the sword. Tanya’s job was to steal the sword, frame Kenji, and bring the sword to England. She wouldn’t be able to return to the United States any time soon, so she needed a large sum of money to live on. Who better to give her that than one of the richest men on the planet?”

  Tanya cried, “No! I was only holding it for safe keeping, that way when Kenji stole it the real sword could be returned to Japan and be declared a national treasure.”

  Ezra thought hard, then replied, “If the sword was a national treasure of Japan, the security would at least triple; Kenji would have no way of retrieving the real sword when he realized his mistake.”

  “Yes! Don’t you see?” Tanya shrieked in a desperate tone, “I was only trying to help!”

  “That’s a nice story,” said Ezra, reaching the pinnacle of his stride and growing in confidence, “But that’s not how it actually happened. You let Kenji steal your keys. You were setting him up from the very beginning, and unfortunately for him, he fell for it, and you’ll both go down.

  Tanya closed her eyes tight as though trying to snap herself out of a horrifying nightmare.

  “How much was he going to pay you Tanya?” Mr. Roy asked.

  She hesitated, then caved and replied, “Ten Million Dollars.”

  Mason whistled in awe.

  Kenji’s jaw dropped. Detective Hayden read Kenji his rights. He was still considered a rookie, which became apparent when he read Kenji’s rights from a small laminated card instead of from memory. Tanya was still standing facing Kenji; Detective Reinhart behind her with his hand firmly on her shoulder.

  Kenji screamed, “I didn’t steal the real Masamune so let me go! She’s the real crook! It was mine to begin with!”

  “Even if the sword you stole wasn’t real, you still stole museum property,” Ezra said.

  “No, Tanya replaced the sword. I didn’t steal the real Masamune!”

  “Then you stole the property of Tanya Brand and you’re still under arrest,” Detective Hayden told him. “As for you Ms. Brand, you’re going back to the station.”

  Detective Hayden made to slap cuffs on Kenji’s dangling wrists, but before he could close them the rookie was caught off guard by something inconceivable. Kenji moved deftly backward and used his head to smash the rookie on his nose, making a crunching sound and surely breaking it. Kenji slipped Hayden’s gun from the holster in Hayden’s inside coat pocket and put it to the wailing detective’s head.

  “Don’t come any closer. Drop it Detective.”

  Detective Reinhart had pulled out his gun but began lowering it to the ground upon Kenji’s demand.

  “You there, little girl, come here,” Kenji said without any trace of humanity in his voice.

  He motioned Addie to come closer. She looked to Ezra who put his hand up, motioning for her to stay put.

  “Take me Kenji, she has nothing to do with this.”

  “Your girlfriend Ezra?”

  Ezra and Addie caught each other’s gaze, then he turned back to face the double-crossed thief.

  “No, look, just put down the gun. Do you really want to add kidnapping to your list of charges?”

  Kenji seemed to be holding back tears.

  “Shut up! You just don’t understand. You’re all wrong!”

  Ezra inched closer with his hands raised.

  “Explain it,” Ezra said as calm as he could.

  “My grandfather, he told me the sword was real and I believed him. He said I would get the sword in his will and I believed that too. But they never found a will and all of his possessions went to my parents. My father never believed in the stories so, to put a stop to it all, he donated the sword to the Tokyo Sword Museum. All he told them was that it was an ancient sword.”

  Kenji let out a forced laugh. “I spent most of my adult life trying to get close to it, and when I heard it was accepted as a true Masamune sword I knew it was only a matter of time before they took it away and locked it up tight. I had to get it back!”

  The room was shrouded in silence. Kenji took the officer’s arm and forced it up behind his back, causing him to cry out.

  “You there, Addie is it? Come here or he dies!”

  Addie looked around and then to the captured officer. His face was contorted and one hand still covered his nose trying to stop the bleeding. She began walking toward Kenji slowly. When she came within a few feet of him he released the officer and kicked him to the ground. In one quick motion he stepped behind Addie and crept slowly away.

  “Don’t you dare follow me!” Kenji said.

  “You’ll never find it Kenji,” Tanya said. “I hid it. But you wouldn’t know the difference between a Masamune and a Muramasa!”

  Tanya cackled and then Detective Reinhart forced her to the ground by twisting her cuffs.

  “Tell me where it is or this little girl dies!”

  Kenji raised the gun against Addie’s head.

  “We both know you won’t kill a young girl,” Tanya said matter-of-factly. “Just give up and maybe they’ll go easy on you.”

  Detective Reinhart nodded. “She’s right you know. Dragging this on will only guarantee that someone is going to get hurt.”

  Kenji cursed and held Addie tighter. He backed away with her toward the museum entrance and faded from sight.

  Detective Reinhart left Tanya with his partner, who held her cuffs tightly against her back with one hand and his broken nose with the other, and followed Kenji toward the exit. Ezra was following close behind, but when they reached the entrance there was no sign of Kenji. A scream sounded throughout the hall. Kenji hadn’t left; he went to Tanya’s office!

  The detective held him back, “Ezra don’t be stupid! The last thing I need is for you to get caught in the middle of this.”

  Detective Reinhart took out his radio and called for backup.

  He said, “In a few minutes half the force will be here.”

  “In a few minutes she could be dead!”

  Ezra darted down the hall toward Tanya’s office. Behind him came a shout from Detective Reinhart. After a moment’s disbelief Reinhart followed Ezra down the cold marble hallway. Addie was Ezra’s responsibility. He had told her not to worry. That everything would be okay. He had to save her!

  12

  Kenji tore through Tanya’s desk drawers, removed books from their shelves and checked every nook and cranny in her office. No sword. Of course she wouldn’t keep it in her office, he thought. Addie stood in the corner holding the arm Kenji had wrenched while running down the hall. A small tear flowed down her cheek, only to collect near her chin.

  “You won’t get away with this!” she screamed.

  “Shut up!” Kenji said pointing the gun in her direction. “Just shut up, now! I need to think.”

  Where would she keep it?

  Kenji remembered Tanya lurking around the Pioneer Exhibit a few days before, so he decided to make his way there. He pick
ed up a pair of keys from Tanya’s desk. By taking the back route he could avoid the front entrance.

  Addie inched toward the door while Kenji was busy plotting out his next move, rubbing the detective’s gun against his head as though trying to soothe a headache with the cold steel. She tried opening the door quietly but a betraying squeak made Kenji raise his head and open his bloodshot eyes. Addie quickly stuck her head outside the doorway.

  “Ezra! I’m in here!” she screamed.

  Kenji grabbed her by her blonde locks and threw her to the ground.

  “That wasn’t very smart of you,” he hissed.

  ♦

  At the other end of the long hall, Ezra heard Addie’s scream and rushed toward it. Kenji had Addie by the hair and was forcing her toward a service door. He saw Ezra and fired a shot in his direction. It hit a wall and ricocheted, echoing down the corridor. Either Kenji was a bad shot or he had no intention of actually killing anyone.

  “Ezra, help!”

  “Don’t worry Addie, the police are on their way and this scumbag is going down!”

  Detective Reinhart caught up to Ezra. He put one hand on Ezra’s shoulder and the other on his own knee, attempting to stay upright while panting from sprinting so fast.

  “Don’t. Ever. Do that again,” Detective Reinhart said in between breaths.

  Kenji fired another shot and the Detective pushed Ezra up against the chilly wall. Addie screamed and dug her fingernails into Kenji’s arm. There was movement behind Kenji but all was disrupted by the shadows. Addie broke free of his grip and fell to the floor. She looked up and saw his face contort. Kenji suddenly dropped to his knees, the gun slipping from his hands and falling to the floor with a metallic clank. A look of awe seemed permanently burned into his face.

  Out of the shadows, Jackson Roy stepped into view. His hair was gelled more ridiculously than ever and his security guard’s uniform was stained with what looked like filling from a raspberry doughnut. He held a stun gun, its long wires attached to Kenji’s back, shocking him profusely.

  Detective Reinhart approached Jackson, whose hands were now shaking with fear. The detective took the stun gun from his tight grip and released the trigger. Kenji fell flat on his face and must have been knocked unconscious.

  “It’s alright son, you did good,” Detective Reinhart said.

  “Thanks,” Jack said hesitantly. “I just, I saw him on the camera with a gun and I—I—”

  “You got him.”

  “Yeah…” Jack said releasing a big sigh.

  Ezra ran to Addie and brought her to her feet, hugging her tightly.

  “Thanks for coming for me Ezra! That was really brave.”

  “I made a promise…”

  Addie loosened her hug and looked into his chocolate eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said, and kissed him lightly.

  She blushed and bit her lip coyly.

  Madison and Mason came running down the hall and stopped when they saw the scene in front of them. Detective Reinhart now had Kenji in cuffs and was walking him toward the exit. All fear had faded from Jackson Roy and he seemed altogether too pleased with himself, calling his friends to tell them what had happened. Ezra and Addie were still in each other’s arms.

  Mason whistled and Madison punched him in the arm.

  “Leave them alone,” she said. “They’re having a moment.”

  “A moment? More like an eternity. Look at th—”

  Madison dragged her brother off by the ear in pursuit of Detective Reinhart.

  A thought came through Ezra’s mind like a sudden flash of energy. The real sword hasn’t been found yet.

  “Hold on Addie, there’s something I have to check.”

  He entered Tanya’s office, which was now practically destroyed, and began turning over objects looking for something Kenji missed. Then it hit him. An uptight and persnickety person like Tanya wouldn’t let an object that valuable out of her sight. She would have to have it nearby at all times.

  While Ezra was pacing the small office, Addie was turning over loose papers on Tanya’s desk. She picked up a small rectangular box. It was deep purple and the cursive writing read “Hotel DeLuxe.”

  “Why would she need to stay at a hotel,” Addie asked.

  “She wouldn’t. But Edmund Dillinger would!”

  “The Brit?”

  “The real mastermind behind the heist,” Ezra started, then a thought struck him and he snapped his fingers. “That’s it!”

  “What?” Addie asked, but by that time Ezra was numb to his surroundings.

  Ezra took off his backpack and felt around for his flashlight. He pulled it out and stepped up to Tanya’s chair, then onto her desk, and felt around the air conditioning vent. The screws had been removed so the metal grate could easily be pushed up. Ezra pushed up the grate and slid it aside. On his tiptoes he was able to see into the ventilation shaft. He shined his flashlight down one side and saw nothing. He turned to look down the other side and saw a long object covered in black silk wrappings.

  “Bingo!”

  He pulled the Masamune out of the vent. It had been duct taped in place in the dark recess above Tanya’s office the entire time. He tore off the tape and unwrapped the cloth like he was opening a present on Christmas morning.

  Inside was a sword of such beauty Ezra’s jaw nearly dropped to a comical level.

  “Come on, we should catch them before they head back to the station,” Ezra said.

  They took each other’s hand and ran to the museum’s entrance. Madison and Mason stood on the front steps admiring the scene below. Detective Reinhart and his partner were just putting Tanya and Kenji in their squad car. Detective Hayden read them their rights once again just to be on the safe side. Curator Roy stood at the top of the stairs with his arms folded and a frown across his pudgy, upset face. The half a dozen squad cars that had shown up to the scene were now dispersing, the crisis having been averted.

  Ezra clutched the Masamune Sword tightly and ran up to the detectives.

  “I believe you were looking for this?” Ezra said triumphantly.

  “The Masamune! Where did you find it?” Kenji asked.

  “Hidden in a safe place. And now it’s going to be returned to Japan. You of all people should have known that a treasure such as this was too much for one person to have. This sword belongs to Japan.”

  Detective Reinhart slammed the door and tapped the roof twice to let his partner know he was cleared to return to the station. The sirens blared and carried off into the setting sun.

  Ezra walked back up the steps and returned the Masamune to Mr. Roy. The curator thanked him in his most extravagant accent yet and returned inside cradling the ancient katana.

  Detective Reinhart’s beat up sedan was the only car left in front of the museum.

  “You kids need a ride home?”

  The four of them looked to each other and smiled.

  “Sure,” Ezra said. “And we might need a little help explaining to our parents why we’re late.”

  Their tensions eased and they all settled in to a hearty laugh. That night Detective Reinhart spoke to each of their parents. He commended Madison and Mason for their detective work and Addie for her bravery; their parents were frozen in a state of shock when they heard.

  He drove Ezra home last, which was only a few houses away, but Ezra assured him it was the thought that counted. Mr. and Mrs. Thorne answered the door together, shocked to find a police detective driving him home.

  “Oh no!” Mrs. Thorne cried. “What did he do?”

  “It’s not what you think Mrs. Thorne. Ezra helped us solve a heist at the Ancient Artifacts Museum. That’s one bright kid you’ve got there. May I come in, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Ezra felt uncomfortable as Detective Reinhart laid out the night’s events for his parents. He didn’t like being talked about in the third person while he was in the room. The night wore on; Ezra yawned and Detective Reinhart took that as his queue, say
ing goodbye and leaving to write up his report.

  Before he reached his car, Ezra ran out to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Detective Reinhart turned and made a questioning face.

  “Take this,” Ezra said, putting the matchbook in the detective’s hand. “I had almost forgot. I found this in Tanya’s office. The only reason I can think of for why she would have a matchbook from the Hotel DeLuxe is that she met the British Millionaire there to plan the heist. Let me know when you find the guy. His name is Edmund Dillinger.”

  “We’ll find him,” Detective Reinhart replied. “I promise.”

  Detective Reinhart turned and got in his car without saying another word. He turned the engine over and drove away, giving Ezra a nod before he faded from view.

  Ezra wondered if things would ever be normal again. This was the second time he helped solve an investigation in less than a year. He knew one thing, though. No matter what happened in school the next day, he could count on Madison, Mason and Addie to be there with him. That was a good thing, because trouble always had a way of finding Ezra Thorne. And Ezra was never one to pass up a good mystery.

  13

  The next morning Ezra awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting up to his room. Ezra’s door was open just a crack, which was enough for Wilhelm and Jake to bound through and ambush him. He pushed the dogs off and ran downstairs for his favorite breakfast.

  When he entered the kitchen Mrs. Thorne was flipping the bacon. She turned and smiled at Ezra, something she hadn’t done genuinely in a long time, and told him to take a seat. Ezra sat down at the table next to his father and Mrs. Thorne served out their breakfast. Mr. Thorne was scanning the paper for any news of the heist, but the story must not have been released until after their deadline.

  Maybe, Ezra thought, no one at school will know. He smiled to himself. News spread like wildfire in school; there was no way around that. For once, Ezra felt like he had a normal family that didn’t bicker every chance they could. He wondered how long it would last.

  School seemed different too. By lunch the word had spread that Ezra, Addie, and the twins helped solve the museum heist investigation. Most students patted Ezra on the back and said, “You’re alright, Ezra,” or “Not bad, Thorne.” However, not everyone was pleased. In the cafeteria at lunchtime, Carson walked up behind Ezra and seized his shoulder, causing him to hunch out of instinct.